N Scale Hump Yard

[BigJoe6401]

What you see is the classification bowl on John's layout. The approach has four arrival tracks that merge into the one to the ramp.

[TheUnionpacific4008]

I couldnt tell did the hump yard tracks end or do the tracks go all the way thru to another track?

[MrShadowknight2000]

Kewl

[TheAZJacob]

Very cool! This is really neat!

[bagnome]

Is that "sweet Thing" by Kieth Urban, I here playing in the back ground!

[swimmerB0B]

The cars ARE tied down in autoracks- that's the main concern with humping loaded ones. The autos can be severely damaged (in the area of the hooks) from the jolt. It's really tough to operate a good hump yard in fine scales because, ounce for ounce, friction affects tiny cars/trucks more than big ones. you must weight all your cars and keep your axle points/truck frame sockets impeccable and lubed. wheel gauge is critical to rolling resistance, as well. P&LE had a great humper in youngstown.

[swimmerB0B]

lose the camera man!

[likestallwomen]

Be neat if I can find a way to model a hump yard, they look pretty cool!

[WorldOfNothin]

do you slow them down some how? I've thought about building a hump yard some day, but always figured they would hit too hard and just cause a lot of derailments, which would take the fun out of it!!! I guess if one sat down and experimented they would find a way to do it!!! I just never spent the time thinking about it lol

[Trolleymoose]

GREAT HUMP YARD, Especially in N scale...COOL!

[curraheewolf]

Awsome hump yard!!

Gary Barnett

Watertown, NY

Watertown Model Railroad Club

[railfan81]

They do hump autoracks but they have to be empty.

[chefjavier]

Do you have problems with the speed going down the ramp? How you prevent them from derailing?

[trainman122]

One word........WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jorgeniscool]

awesome layout

[BigJoe6401]

They use bamboo skewers to separate the cars and move the kuckles apart. Then they slowly push the car over the hump.

[trackspike64]

how do u activate the uncoupling and what kind of switches are you using

[Pac3steel]

Great clip.

[mccunecp]

cool video after watchign extream trains and them uing the hump I know when I model I have to put that on my yard.

[jwerren78]

Thats totally crazy! Love it!!!

[TrainManTy]

THUD! No wonder the real railroads use mechanical retarders to slow the cars down before they enter the bowl...

Neat video!

[diburning]

cool! But in real life, Autoracks usually aren't humped if ever

[BigJoe6401]

Rivet Counters! :-)  Just kidding. Yeah, considering that a derailment would means tons of cash going to the automobile company, I can see that. See previous reply to JohnnyNCindy comment. This is just a friend's layout. He does not quite do protoype 100%.

[diburning]

Actually, they don't hump the cars because they did it before and the autorack coasting down a hill and then stopping causes the cars inside to shift and the shift can cause damage.

[BigJoe6401]

See, I did not know that. I thought the cars were hooked up some way. Thanks.

[civil1guy]

The yard where I work, we hump anything and everything. Autos, LPG, even loads of pump. Got wheels? Over the hill it goes.

[ZacksPlace2010]

@BigJoe6401 Hey, how did you get the cars to uncouple like that? Is there some special device you have in place, or is the design of the hump causing the cars to naturally uncouple?

[MrMCBvideo]

I believe that they separated the cars with a bamboo skewer on the approach track prior to being seen on the video screen. Then, with all of the car couplers unlashed, the engine simply pushes the entire train to that spot where each car rolls down the slope. Kadee makes a passive track magnet to achieve this separation as well. However, I have been told that it is not always reliable because it works best if there is slack between the two car couplers: not always easy to create.

[ZacksPlace2010]

@MrMCBvideo Yeah, I found out about the magnets after I posted that. The electromagnets too!

[TJBV08]

@diburning I haven't seen FULL auto carriers humped, but empties I have, OAK ISLAND "NEWARK N.J."

[becharger1]

@diburning , actually at CSX's yard in Louisville, about all they hump are autoracks.

[diburning]

@becharger1 If that's true, then they're humping them empty. Even when empty, it's risky because the autorack is tall enough to flip over if it derails.

[becharger1]

@diburning I worked in that yard for 9 years and currently work for RJ Corman, they hump loads. Always have, always will. It doesn't hurt the cars. The biggest concern with humping auto racks is bypassed couplers and that has nothing to do with being loaded or empty.

[diburning]

@becharger1 What I said was based on an incident with CSX damaging the vehicles by humping the racks. I don't remember how long ago it was though.

[WorldOfNothin]

@becharger1 if your talking about Louisville, Ky; thats almost literally the only thing you see coming and going from Louisville are autorack trains!!!

[UPRR11]

@diburning- Actually, they are. Just not as much as hoppers or boxcars.

[diburning]

@UPRR11 They may hump the empty ones.

[JohnnyNCindy]

Nice, What grade are you using for the yard?

[BigJoe6401]

I do not know the grade used for the hump. This is at a friend's layout in the club.

[BaronvonBavert]

nice video, good work!!!

[BigJoe6401]

Actually, it's bamboo skewers! They somehow have the knack to separate the couplers on the way up to keep them from re-coupling up to the apex of the ramp.

[golfingrobert]

pretty sweet, what releasing the couplers? magnematics i geuss?

[ballparkfrank10]

thats really cool! i wish i had room for all this kinda shit...